9ct versus 18ct

noodles.nixon

my wife to be and I have always wanted to have a certain wedding ring - the finger print ring from Andrew English - http://www.andrewenglish.com/
Our budget has become tight and the minimum for 2 of these rings is about £1200, but I cannot get them out of my head.....love them. For us to get these rings we would have to pay for travel to London and accomodation whilst we are there = more expense.
Yesterday we went to one of our local jewellers and just happened to mention this in conversation. They rang around to their hand engraver who stated that they could do the exact same thing.
For 9ct gold - £450 and almost double for 18ct.
I have always wanted 18ct but the idea of only paying £450 sounds great.
We are having white gold......will 9ct be any different?.......Am I just being a snob?

Maysie

Lovely design its a really romantic idea. Would you wear your engagement ring with it? What gold is that? I think you need the same so it does not wear the weaker gold away.

noodles.nixon

well.....we didnt bother with an engagement ring because we wanted the fingerprint ring to be unique on its own.
just as something to wear for the next year....we got a silver ring ...but wont be wearing this following the wedding

monkeymonkey_3

When we were shopping for my engagement ring a couple of weeks ago, I asked the same question in an independant jewellers, she basically said that people tend to want 18ct because it has a higher gold content, so is seen as more precious, but that actually, in terms of durability, 9ct will be stronger as it has a lower gold content. Since gold is a soft metal, the higher the gold content, the softer the metal, so 9ct will wear less than 18ct. With white gold, I doubt there'd be any difference in the look of the ring, as white gold is rhodium plated (a coating over the top of the white gold). Hope that helps?

Sammy85_2

As has been said, 9ct Gold is harder wearing. Its usual for mens rings to be 9ct gold due to this, especially if they have a more "hands on" job.

As you dont have an engagement ring then you could easily go for 9ct. You would only need 18ct if you had an engagement ring that was 18ct, as a 9ct wedding band would wear away at the softer gold of the engagement ring.

If you are going for white gold then the colour should be very similar for 9 or 18ct, but with yellow gold 9 or 18ct tends to be a slightly different shades. It would be worthwhile going and looking at the difference and seeing if you prefer one over the other.

Lexxi

The 9ct and 18ct just means how much gold is in the ring, 18ct would be more expensive as it is 18/24 white gold, I guess it would depend on if you are sensitive to the other bits they put in to make the rest of the ring up, I have a 9ct ring and I forgot to take it off while cleaning so now it irritates my finger and I'll have to get it touched up.
What about titanium or paaladium? they are both durable and I think they are cheaper than gold though one has started being hallmarked now (I think)

maggie111

White gold needs to be redipped... and I'm not sure how feasible that is with the fingerprint idea? It might rub/wear.

lelole

I would not suggest getting a White gold ring, as they are just coated with a white metal, which wears off really easily. I have White gold ring which I only wear very occasionally and there are places it has worn already, so if you were wearing it daily it would need to be re-coated regularly.

kitschkitty

I'd go for 9ct white gold! In fact we are. I love those fingerprint rings though, they are fab!

noodles.nixon

thanks for all your help.
think I just wanted to feel that i had a better class of ring by having 18ct. but at the end of the day due to the job I do....I need a hardwearing ring.
plus.....think of the extra £550 I will have to spend elsewhere.

maggie111

It might all be to waste when you re-dip it because it's white gold. Please check.